The construction of a mega oil-refining and petrochemical project began on Monday in SE China's Fujian Province.

The project has a total investment of 71.1 billion yuan (about $9.9 billion), which is the largest industrial investment in Fujian to date.

Chinese automaker BYD recorded a milestone on Monday when its 10-millionth new energy vehicle (NEV) rolled off the production line at a plant in S China's Guangdong Province.

The China-Central Asia Gas Pipeline has delivered more than 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China since it was put into service in 2009, helping reduce the use of about 666 million tonnes of standard coal, equivalent to a reduction of 731 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, according to PipeChina West Pipeline Company.

Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted again on Monday, sending ash up to 2,500 meters into the sky and forcing more than 12,000 residents to evacuate, according to the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center and a local official.

China's central bank on Monday licensed another credit-scoring company to engage in personal credit reporting, making Qiantang Credit Co., Ltd. the third company in the country that has been permitted to conduct the data-intensive business.

US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Elise Stefanik, a New York congresswoman and chair of the House Republican Conference, to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik, 40, is a staunch ally of Trump and the youngest woman ever to hold a leadership position in the House.

Hamas announced on Tuesday the selection of Yahya Sinwar as its political bureau chief after his predecessor was assassinated in Tehran last week. Sinwar is considered one of the main planners of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

@PDChinaNews